. Chilufya

By DOROTHY CHISI –
ACCORDING to World Health Organisation, Zambia is one of the countries in the world with high TB and TB-HIV burden.
The Zambia TB  prevalence survey conducted in 2014 indicates that in all ages and considering all forms of TB, there are 455 cases per 100,000 people in the population.
The National Health Strategic Plan (NHSP) 2017-2021 drawn up by the Ministry of Health denotes the importance of the involvement of the community in controlling diseases.
The NHSP states that communities were vital resources and form part of a network of relationships and support on which people rely when seeking health services.
The approach to involve the community in resolving health issues is key as most chronic health conditions are caused by social and environmental determinants of health which fall outside the control of the health sector.
Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya said Zambia is pursuing a transformation agenda in the health sector where the country has shifted focus to the community and has invested in stronger public health systems.
The Government is trying to achieve a situation where primary healthcare addresses social determinants with emphasis placed on maintenance of a healthy population as an essential contributor to national development.
Dr Chilufya said in order for Zambia to build a healthy and productive nation, his ministry has recognised the need to rejuvenate the health systems.
Dr Chilufya also said with the rising middle class, non-communicable diseases today cause a lot of disabilities and pre-mature deaths.
He said it was for this reason that the Ministry of Health had created a new directorate called Health Promotion, Prevention and Control to provide health promotion packages to ensure that Zambians are kept healthy and away from the common practices that cause non-communicable diseases.
The participation of stakeholders in the fight against diseases in Zambia had long been commended by Government which believes that on its own, it cannot fight the disease burden in the country.
As one of the pillars to sustainable primary healthcare in the country, healthcare financing is an integral component in the health systems.
Healthcare financing impacts the production, delivery and consumption of health services.
It also caters for the coverage of the poor against financial risks and the magnitude of impact on health outcomes and equity.
Recently, the Japanese government, through the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association (JATA) Zambia, signed a contract worth K4.4 million for tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS control in Chongwe District.
Japanese Ambassador to Zambia Hidenobu Sobashima said the grant would assist in the implementation of comprehensive TB and HIV control with a community participation in the area.
He said the direct beneficiaries of the project were about 4,500 people who had contracted or who were suspected of having contracted TB in Chongwe.
Mr Sobashima said the project is aimed to strengthen the diagnostic and treatment systems for TB patients, including those with co-infection of TB and HIV/AIDS in the district.
“Notable activities during phase one and two of this project include the donation of an X-ray equipment to Ngwerere Rural Health Centre on the World TB Day and mobilization of TB treatment supporters to visit a total of 1,533 homes in Chongwe and Kanakantapa,” Mr Sobashima said.
He expressed hope that the funds for the projects, which came from Japanese tax payers, would bear fruit to contribute to achieving universal health coverage in Zambia.
JATA acting representative Yuko Matsuoka said the fight against TB was a global health priority.
Ms Matsuoka said it was for this reason that the World Health Organisation (WHO) global ministerial conference on ending TB in sustainable development era agreed to accelerate action to end TB and meet the milestone towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“JATA Zambia, as one of the overseas offices of JATA Japan with objectives to control and reduce global and individual burden of TB and HIV related TB diseases in Zambia, has been providing technical assistance and programme support since 2008,”Ms Matsuoka said.
She said the current project, which commenced in December 2015, had seen a decrease in the incidents and mortality of TB in Lusaka Province.
Ms Matsuoka said with the aligning of the NHSP, WHO End TB Strategy as well as Japanese government development assistance policy in Zambia towards a world free of TB, JATA Zambia strongly believed the project would make a great contribution to the society.
Chongwe District Director of Heath Charles Msiska was hopeful that the assistance that had been given to the district would help in reducing cases of TB and HIV.
Dr Msiska said with the X-ray machine, the health center would be able to carry out diagnosis.
He expressed confidence that the cases of TB would reduce in the Chongwe.
Cooperating partners are vital who in the fight against disease in the country.
With their involvement in the strategic interventions, coupled with measures being put in place by the Government through the Ministry of Health, the NHSP would surely be achieved.
Inadequate funding, which has remained the primary constraint in the development of the health sector would not be a major drawback if more partners get involved in supplementing the efforts the Government which seeks to make sure that all citizens have access to the required healthcare services.